Ronaldo Destined To return To Manchester United
Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo has revealed that
Manchester United are “in my heart” and will not rule out a possible move back
to Old Trafford in future. The Portuguese captain enjoyed a
successful spell with the Red Devils between 2003 and 2009, scoring 117 goals
in 290 matches as he won the FA Cup, three Premier League titles as well as the
2007/08 UEFA Champions League crown. And the 29-year-old insists he still has
strong affection for his previous club, who he secretly hopes he may return to
one day. “I love Manchester United,” the World and European Player of the
Year told the Daily Mail. “Everyone knows that – I have said it many times.
Manchester United are in my heart. I left many good friends there, the
supporters are amazing and I wish I can come back one day. I am happy here at
Real Madrid and have four more years, but in the future you never know because
they treated me unbelievably at United. I really did love being at Manchester
United.” United have endured an inconsistent start to the new season, yet
Ronaldo is confident Louis van Gaal will get the best out of his charges,
especially his new recruits. “Believe me, they will be a good team again,
I’m sure of it,” he said. “They are a great club. This sort of blip can happen.
Bad moments and good moments. Manchester are passing through a bad moment.
Title holders Spain
and England boosted morale after their World Cup meltdowns when they started Euro
2016 qualifying with victories on Monday. Valencia forward Paco Alcacer
scored Spain’s second on his debut and set up Sergio Busquets for the 3-1
scoreline, with Sergio Ramos, David Silva and Pedro adding the other goals in a
big 5-1 win over Macedonia in Group C. Spain went out in the group stage at the
recent World Cup in Brazil as holders, and lost a friendly in France last week,
but got back on track in Valencia. England grabbed an important 2-0 win in
their Group E opener in Switzerland from Danny Welbeck’s double. A total 23
teams will qualify from the nine groups, and playoffs, to join directly entered
hosts France for the 2016 edition which is the first with 24 teams instead of
16.
Ivory Coast defender
Didier Zokora announced on Monday in an interview with the national press that
he is calling time on his international career. The 33-year-old, who plays
for Turkish club Akhisarspor, retires after winning 117 caps with the national
side. “After giving 15 years of my life with six CAN (African Cup of
Nations) appearances and three World Cups, I think you have to know when to
stop,” he said. “I think I’ve given a lot to my country. Everything
comes to an end, and you have to know when to go. It’s my decision,” he
continued. “I’ve informed FIF (Ivorian Football Federation) bosses of my
decision. And it’s true they tried to change my mind. But I no longer have the
desire and the same motivation. It’s time to leave the way open to young
players.” Zokora made his international debut in 2000 and played his final
match for the Elephants at the World Cup on June 19 in a 2-1 defeat to
Colombia. He started his club career at ASEC Mimosas in Abidjan, before heading
for Europe where he played in Belgium with Genk (2000-2004), French side
Saint-Etienne (2004-2006), England’s Tottenham (2006-2009) and Spanish outfit
Sevilla (2009-2011) before heading to Turkey and Trabzonspor (2011-2014)
followed by Akhisarspor. He becomes the second Ivorian stalwart to retire in
recent weeks after emblematic captain Didier Drogba who called time on his
career last month.
New Chelsea striker Loic Remy has warned Diego Costa that he
will not settle for a spot on the bench. The Frenchman joined the
Blues from QPR on the final day of the transfer window after Fernando Torres
left for AC Milan, but he insists he will not be happy with a role as a
substitute. “I know I won’t start out as
first-choice striker at Chelsea, but nothing is set in stone. I have my aims,”
he told The Mirror. “I didn’t sign for them in order to sit on the bench. I
will try to improve as much as I can alongside their great players, and the
rest will happen naturally.” Costa, who arrived in the summer from
Atletico Madrid, has got off to a flyer, scoring four goals in his first three
League matches.
Fifa has revived the
possibility of staging the 2022 World Cup in January and February after
president Sepp Blatter previously ruled out the idea last year. Three
possible time slots were discussed for the tournament as a Fifa task force, set
up specifically to decide once and for all when the finals should take place,
met for the first time at the headquarters of world soccer’s governing body on
Monday. Qatar was awarded the World Cup on the widely held understanding that
it would be staged in the summer despite the searing heat in the country. Although
Qatar has insisted that a summer World Cup is viable thanks to cooling
technologies it is developing for stadiums, training areas and fan zones, there
is still widespread concern over the health of the players and visiting
supporters. “Discussions centred around the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar,
and participants were presented with information on the implications of staging
the event in winter as opposed to summer, as proposed by the Fifa executive
committee,” Fifa said in a statement. Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke
clarified that, based on the hosting agreement, the Fifa World Cup must be held
in 2022. “The options of January/February 2022 and November/December 2022
were put forward as alternatives to June/July 2022, and initial feedback
received.” Last November, Blatter categorically ruled out a winter World
Cup that could clash with the Winter Olympics. “The Fifa World Cup can
only be played in November/December 2022, no way it’s going to take place in
January/February,” he told a news conference in Abu Dhabi at the time. “We
have to see how we can have the Fifa World Cup played in winter, but only
Nov/Dec are possible.”
BLATTER ASSURANCES
The International Olympic Committee, said on Monday it had
received assurances from Blatter the 2022 World Cup would not clash with the
winter Olympics, the world’s biggest winter sports event. “It is in the interest of both
organisations (Fifa and the IOC) that there is no clash between our
calendars,” said IOC spokesman Mark Adams. “We have received
assurances from President Blatter that this will not be the case. Monday’s
meeting included representatives from European clubs, leagues and the world
players’ union FIFPro as well as national association representatives. “This
is the first meeting and there will be future meetings on this matter,”
said Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al
Khalifa, who chaired the meeting. “As the Fifa executive committee has
emphasised, the consultation process should not be rushed but instead be given
the necessary time to consider all of the elements relevant for a decision. We
have made progress at today’s meeting and will continue to work together to
find the best solution for football.” However, Blatter, speaking in a
taped interview shown to the Soccerex convention in Manchester, seemed to rule
out a summer World Cup, even though it was put to the task force. “We have
already said we cannot play in summer in this heat in Qatar,” he said.
“We have to play in winter. Now we are making this consultation but it is
the first official one, so far. So far the Fifa secretary Jerome Valcke has
made some contact by telephone with the different leagues and now we will bring
them together and identify what is the best possible moment to play in Qatar.
But that decision is not taken. Definitely not.”
Fenerbahce have
reportedly asked former Liverpool striker Dirk Kuyt to try and convince
compatriot Robin van Persie to leave Manchester United for the Turkish giants
in January. According to Turkish publication Hurriyet, Fenerbahce are
looking to bolster their squad with up to four players during the winter
transfer window, and believe they may be able to land Van Persie following the
arrival of Radamel Falcao at Old Trafford recently. The paper claims that Van
Persie is the club’s top transfer priority, and have asked Kuyt to talk to the
Netherlands striker about a switch to Turkey. Fenerbahce president, Aziz
Yildirim, told Hurriyet: “This team is good enough for now, but if it is
necessary, we can pick up three or four players in January.” United, however,
are unlikely to sell Van Persie in the coming months despite the Red Devils
having signed Monaco striker Falcao on loan for the coming season. It is
thought that United boss Louis van Gaal is keen to keep Van Persie at the club
after previously making the 31-year-old captain of the Dutch national team for
their World Cup campaign in Brazil earlier this summer.
Borussia Dortmund
have confirmed German attacker Marco Reus will be sidelined for about a month
with an ankle injury. The 25-year-old sustained the knock in his country’s
2-1 victory over Scotland in a Euro 2016 qualifier on Sunday night. Reus missed
the World Cup with a serious ankle complaint but Dortmund have indicated the
fresh blow is less severe. Reus now faces a race to be fit for the world
champions’ next qualifying ties against Poland and the Republic of Ireland in
mid-October.
Fifa president Sepp
Blatter has confirmed he will run for a fifth term in next year’s elections. The
Swiss, who has headed the footballing body since 1998, is expected to gain
re-election following Uefa chief Michel Platini’s decision not to stand. “I
would make an official declaration definitely in September now when we have the
executive committee,” Blatter told the Soccerex convention by way of video
interview. “I will inform the executive committee. It’s a question of
respect also to say then to the football family, ‘Yes I will be ready. I will
be a candidate.’” He continued: “You see a mission is never finished,
and my mission is not finished. And I have told the Fifa Congress, I have told
the congresses of the confederations. Then I got through the last congress in
Sao Paulo not only the impression but the support of the majority, a huge
majority of national associations asking ‘Please go on, be our president also
in future.’” Blatter will formalise his candidacy when the Fifa executive
committee meets in Zurich on September 25-26. Platini announced last month he
would not pursue the Fifa presidency contrary to earlier speculation he may
challenge Blatter for the top administrative job.
Italian veteran Andrea Pirlo has said he will continue to
make himself available for the Italian national team. Pirlo, who has
amassed 111 caps for the Azzurri since his debut in September 2002, admitted he
was considering international retirement, yet was swayed by new Italy boss and
his former Juventus mentor Antonio Conte. “I have been talking with (new
Italy coach Antonio) Conte who asked me if I was ready to play again for the
Azzurri and I told him that I was,” the Juventus midfielder told Gazzetta
TV. “It was a difficult decision to take. I had wanted to stop playing for
the national side but he (Conte) took over and he asked me to lend a hand. I am
happy to do that and we are hopeful we can achieve great things together.” Conte, who took over from Cesare Prandelli
after Italy’s poor showing at the World Cup, began his tenure at the helm with
a 2-0 victory over the Netherlands in an international friendly last Thursday
evening, a performance which left Pirlo impressed. “I liked the look of the
team,” the 35-year-old said. “You can already see the work of the tactician.”
Pirlo is currently out with a hip injury.
Rio Ferdinand
believes Manchester United have made a huge mistake in selling Danny Welbeck to
Arsenal. The English striker made the move on transfer deadline day following
the arrival of Radamel Falcao at Old Trafford. But Ferdinand, who also departed
United during the summer, believes the Red Devils have made a huge mistake. “I
cannot believe United let Danny go, especially to Arsenal,” he told The
Sun. “That seems mad to me. He’s a real threat to defenders and, if Arsenal use
him right, he will be very dangerous for them. Danny has everything to be a top
player. English football has yet to see what he can really do because he hasn’t
been getting a run of games. I think he felt frustrated at United because, even
if he did well, Robin van Persie and Wayne Rooney would be ahead of him. At
Arsenal, he will be the main man and I have no doubt he will flourish.”
Bayern Munich
attacker Xherdan Shaqiri has confirmed Liverpool made a bid for him before the
World Cup. The Switzerland playmaker, however, says he is considering
extending his stay with the Bavarians despite playing second fiddle to Arjen
Robben and Franck Ribery at the Allianz Arena. “Liverpool made a bid for
me before the World Cup but Bayern put their foot down and told me: ‘We’re not
going to sell you’,” Shaqiri told the press ahead of his country’s Euro
2016 qualifying opener against England on Monday. “My contract runs until 2016
and I could possibly extend it. I will consider my decision during the winter
break.”
Brazilian club Gremio
have been banned from the country’s main Cup competition, the Copa do Brasil,
as punishment for racist abuse by their fans in a landmark decision in world
football. The club was 2-0 down in their first-leg Round of 16 encounter
against Santos, when the home fans began racially abusing their opponent’s
black goalkeeper Aranha, with live television cameras depicting them shouting
the word “monkey” to the player. A five-member disciplinary commission of the
Superior Court of Sporting Justice – Brazil’s highest sports tribunal – has
since made the decision to ban the club from the rest of the competition, as
well as issue the club with a fine of 50,000 reais (R237 000). The commission
has also ruled that the Gremio fans found guilty of the racial slurs will be
banned from attending football matches in Brazil for the next 720 days. “This
is a landmark ruling,” said the commission head Fabricio Dazzi. Gremio,
coached by former Brazil manager Luiz Felipe Scolari, is one of the most
successful clubs in Brazil, having won the domestic league twice and the Brazil
Cup on four different occasions.
Arsenal have a new
official speed king – and it’s not £35million Alexis Sanchez… Nor has
Theo Walcott regained the crown he lost in the summer to young right-back
Hector Bellerin. Instead, 18-year-old striker Chuba Akpom has claimed the title
of the Gunners’ fastest ever player after eating up 10 metres in just 1.56
seconds in training. So, should speedy Akpom (who scored 15 times in his 23
academy appearances last season) be rewarded with a chance in the first-team?
Liverpool striker
Daniel Sturridge took to social media to play down concerns about his injury on
Monday afternoon. The England striker missed the Euro 2016 qualifier in
Switzerland after picking up a thigh problem in training on Friday following
the friendly win over Norway 48 hours earlier. Sturridge has been sent for more
scans to assess the full extent of the damage, but is a major doubt for
Saturday’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa. However, the former
Manchester City frontman has vowed to return to action as soon as possible. ‘Be
back soon,’ the 25-year-old posted on his official Instagram account. Liverpool
kick off their Champions League campaign against Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets
Razgrad at Anfield next Tuesday.